Eat a "Last Meal" with Piranha Club

Last September, the singular state of Texas, which executes more prisoners than any other, discontinued the practice of serving death row inmates a final meal. The move came after Lawrence Russel Brewer—the man convicted in the death of James Byrd Jr., a case that spawned national hate crimes legislations—requested an elaborate final meal that some in state government found excessive.

The order: a bowl of fried okra with ketchup, two chicken fried steaks smothered in gravy and onions, a cheese omelet stuffed with ground beef, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, and jalapeños, triple meat bacon cheeseburger, three fajitas, one pound of barbecue, half a loaf of white bread, a meat lover's special pizza, a pint of vanilla ice cream, one slab of peanut butter fudge with crushed peanuts, and root beer.

Think what you will about the politics and ethical issues of a last meal, but they are certainly an interesting subject that has a strange and varied history in the United States penal system. There's sure to be plenty of discussion of these meals at "The Last Last Meal Dinner" hosted by artist-led culinary collective Piranha Club, who will recreate Brewer's entire last meal for a group of ten guests on Saturday, March 10 at the Roots & Culture art gallery.

The cost is $30, and you can register for this slightly morbid (and more than slightly intriguing) dinner online or by emailing the Piranha Club's organizer, Eric May, at ericmay@gmail.com.

--Kate Bernot